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Eight agricultural businesses will be open for the twice-annual Broome County Farm Trail

Farmers work rain or shine, in the warm or in the cold, so when the public is invited to get a look and a taste of Broome County agriculture this weekend, the offer stands no matter the weather.

Eight agricultural businesses will be open for the twice-annual Broome County Farm Trail. Visitors to sites on the Farm Trail, held each May and October and sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, are encouraged to meet and talk to farmers to learn about their work.

Extension educator Brian Aukema said the twice-a-year schedule allows visitors to appreciate the cycle of agriculture, which is second nature to producers and sellers but might not be so to everyone.

“In the spring you see a lot of planting, the new beginning, and the fall is the harvest,” he said. “You’ll see the result of what was done in the spring. And it’s a lot more beautiful in the fall driving around and enjoying the changing leaves.”

Many of the Farm Trail venues have activities planned, and most will have products for sale or sampling. Aukema’s family owns Dutch Hill Creamery in Chenango Forks, one of the stops, which will offer a petting zoo, tours of the farm and dairy, and their milk, cheese and yogurt for sale.

New to the trail this fall is HH Riders Trail and Riding Club, which will be at Camp Sertoma in Kirkwood, offering information and demonstrations of grooming and tacking. Visitors can meet horses and minis, and camp director Dave Card will lead tours of the outdoor education facility.

Club founder Rebecca Barrett said the club has “adopted” Camp Sertoma, as it is a rare horse-friendly venue, and an institution familiar to a generation of eastern Broome natives. Farming and outdoor recreation go hand-in-hand, she said.

“In this area we need to promote agriculture, and whether you’re meeting a dairy guy or a farmer or an outdoor club, it’s all related,” she said. “We’re losing it, and we need to come back to that."

Teaching about those connections between farms and land and food is the main goal of the Farm Trail and the reason for the extension’s involvement, Aukema said. The knowledge is being lost, with less than 1 percent of the population being involved in agriculture.

Beyond that, there is a direct economic benefit. The extension says Broome County’s farms and agricultural businesses generate more than $100 million in annual business investments, account for $20.9 million of the county’s economy, including $2.5 million in property taxes and $2.7 million in wages annually.

“This past spring, we figured people bought $20,000 worth of product, and when you’re buying from local sources the dollar turns around seven or eight times in the community,” he said. “That’s a huge boost to the local economy just from this one weekend.”

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Dutch Hill Creamery owner Brian Aukema greets two 1-year-old dairy cows in their pen at the Aukema Dairy Farm on Thursday. This weekend's Farm Trail event will allow visitors to get up close and personal with the dairy animals and see behind the scenes of how the milking process happens.(Photo: ANDREW THAYER / Staff Photo)

Follow John R. Roby on Twitter @PSBJRoby.

PARTICIPATING FARMS AND BUSINESSES

These sites will be open Saturday and Sunday, unless otherwise indicated: